Bachelor Buttons Wild Chicory, Blue Sailor or Corn Flower (
Centaurea cyanus Chicorum intybus).
We found masses of these growing along a trail in a park in Canonsburg this morning
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UPDATE: As pointed out by Pam below, this is actually Chicory, an even more interesting weed. Cultivated varieties are used to flavor Louisiana style coffee (or as a very cheap coffee substitute), young leaves are used in salad (Belgian Endive, Radicchio or Witloof), the greens are boiled as vegetables, and the whole plant is used as stock fodder known for it's vermifugal properties.
Nice shot of a pretty weed but I'm reasonably certain that it's chicory (Cichorium intybus) and not bachelor buttons (Centaurea cyanus). Some people call chicory "wild bachelor buttons," which leads to confusion. Here's a picture of a bachelor button from my garden a few years ago.
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BTW, nice shots of Pittsburgh too.
Thanks Pam. I updated the post to reflect your corrections.
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